Chhattisgarh govt starts working on Nava Raipur's infrastructure projects

The Chhattisgarh government has started working on the infrastructure projects of state capital Nava (New) Raipur that were stalled during the Covid-induced pandemic.

When the pandemic was at its peak in May 2021, the state government stopped all major infrastructure projects, including the construction of a new governor’s house, Assembly building, chief minister’s house, residences of ministers and senior officers, and a new circuit house in the ‘Nava Raipur’ area (New Raipur).

Parliamentary Secretary for public works department (PWD), Vikas Upadhyay, said the move would save the state exchequer Rs 20,000 crore. The country was battling with Covid and it was inevitable to stop major expenses that were not immediately required.  

Now with the economy on the revival path, Chhattisgarh is stimulating the stalled projects. The first in the series is the construction of new premises for the Legislative Assembly, which will come up at an investment of about Rs 245 crore in a sprawling 550,000 square feet area. Besides, an MLA guest house is part of the project that will needed another Rs 118 crore for execution. “The fresh tender process has been completed and the work order has been issued to the successful bidder,” a senior official of the PWD said. The tender was for civil work and a separate proposal would be invited for the interior works.

A firm based in Korba has bagged the contract. Earlier, the tender for the project was floated in March 2021 that was cancelled.

The construction work of the new Assembly building will start soon, the PWD official said, adding that the project would be completed within two years. The other pending proposals have also been revived and tenders will be floated soon.

The design of the new Legis­lative Assembly building will reflect the vernacular architecture of the region and showcase the state’s rich culture and heritage.  The new premises will resemble the outer layout of North and Souths of New Delhi, the official said. The House, which has 90 MLAs now, will accommodate 200 members after the possible delimitation and expansion of constituencies in the future.